Perspective: Transmedial Genre: Drama Audience: Children and Various Professionals (Educators, Counselors, Parents) Purpose: To show how the incorporation of other genres, such as art and music, can allow for greater insight and understanding Engagement: Children will be able to use drama as a means to transform and respond to the text
The story of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is one that incorporates both writing and illustrations to tell the story. The detailed illustrations add to the understanding of the novel, for the reader does not have to guess what the characters or events may look like. The illustrations add detail to the story and allow the reader to feel more engaged and apart of the story. The attention to detail offers the reader a unique glance into the vivid world in which Hugo thrives in.
The story of Hugo allows room for the reader to transform the text into a different genre. The text itself allows for much imagination to take place. Many times a reader is forced to imagine what the different experiences of the characters look like. They may envision the intensity of the events like the chase scene as a high speed chase or as something less intense like a simple foot race. Transforming the story into a drama would be a great way for the readers to not only convey their own interpretation of the text, but to also gain more insight into the experiences of Hugo. By actually portraying the events in the book, children can better understand the thoughts and feelings of each character. The drama would afford children the emotional connection to the story that they may not receive by simply reading it or looking at the illustrations. Bringing the story to life can help children understand the various struggles that Hugo faced living and working in the clocks. By playing a role in the story and putting themselves in another person’s shoes, even if it is a fictional character, children can learn important lesson, such as empathy for another individual. For some reason, seeing something first hand elicits more reflection and response than simply reading about it. It is important to teach children the value of empathy or accepting people despite their circumstances. Although everyone has different experiences, making Hugo’s struggles real may help children understand the idea that the experiences of another can be relatively similar to their own experiences.
Being able to transform the text into another genre enables the reader to see the unlimited possibilities to responding to something they have read. It also enables the reader to gain insight into how telling the same story told in a different way, such as through drama, could elicit a completely different response from telling the story through something like art. It enables children to learn that there is no one way to both tell a story and to respond to a story. This can be extremely helpful with children who are trying to figure out and express the things they have been through or their own life stories. Too many times children feel that if they do not write down their thoughts or feelings, that there is no other way to convey what they have experienced. Taking a story, like Hugo, and showing how it can be transformed into something like a drama without losing its essence is important for children to see and understand. A child should learn that they can tell their own stories through different genres. If dance comes easier to them than words as a means of expression, then the child should feel comfortable enough to use dance as a mean to tell their story with the knowledge that people will be able to understand what they are trying to portray. The same goes for the children who use music or art in order to express. Hugo offers the reader the experience of both art and literature as the story unfolds. I believe part of the reason Selznick wrote the book the way he did was so the reader would understand simple literature is not the only means to effectively portraying a story.
Hugo Cabret
Perspective: Transmedial
Genre: Drama
Audience: Children and Various Professionals (Educators, Counselors, Parents)
Purpose: To show how the incorporation of other genres, such as art and music, can allow for greater insight and understanding
Engagement: Children will be able to use drama as a means to transform and respond to the text
The story of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is one that incorporates both writing and illustrations to tell the story. The detailed illustrations add to the understanding of the novel, for the reader does not have to guess what the characters or events may look like. The illustrations add detail to the story and allow the reader to feel more engaged and apart of the story. The attention to detail offers the reader a unique glance into the vivid world in which Hugo thrives in.
The story of Hugo allows room for the reader to transform the text into a different genre. The text itself allows for much imagination to take place. Many times a reader is forced to imagine what the different experiences of the characters look like. They may envision the intensity of the events like the chase scene as a high speed chase or as something less intense like a simple foot race. Transforming the story into a drama would be a great way for the readers to not only convey their own interpretation of the text, but to also gain more insight into the experiences of Hugo. By actually portraying the events in the book, children can better understand the thoughts and feelings of each character. The drama would afford children the emotional connection to the story that they may not receive by simply reading it or looking at the illustrations. Bringing the story to life can help children understand the various struggles that Hugo faced living and working in the clocks. By playing a role in the story and putting themselves in another person’s shoes, even if it is a fictional character, children can learn important lesson, such as empathy for another individual. For some reason, seeing something first hand elicits more reflection and response than simply reading about it. It is important to teach children the value of empathy or accepting people despite their circumstances. Although everyone has different experiences, making Hugo’s struggles real may help children understand the idea that the experiences of another can be relatively similar to their own experiences.
Being able to transform the text into another genre enables the reader to see the unlimited possibilities to responding to something they have read. It also enables the reader to gain insight into how telling the same story told in a different way, such as through drama, could elicit a completely different response from telling the story through something like art. It enables children to learn that there is no one way to both tell a story and to respond to a story. This can be extremely helpful with children who are trying to figure out and express the things they have been through or their own life stories. Too many times children feel that if they do not write down their thoughts or feelings, that there is no other way to convey what they have experienced. Taking a story, like Hugo, and showing how it can be transformed into something like a drama without losing its essence is important for children to see and understand. A child should learn that they can tell their own stories through different genres. If dance comes easier to them than words as a means of expression, then the child should feel comfortable enough to use dance as a mean to tell their story with the knowledge that people will be able to understand what they are trying to portray. The same goes for the children who use music or art in order to express. Hugo offers the reader the experience of both art and literature as the story unfolds. I believe part of the reason Selznick wrote the book the way he did was so the reader would understand simple literature is not the only means to effectively portraying a story.